UConn Extension collaborated with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN) Departments of Agriculture and Parks and Recreation to facilitate a youth photography scavenger hunt at Meechooôk Farm in July 2023. This activity is part of a larger shared commitment to youth development and improvements in agricultural literacy in the MPTN community.

MPTN youth were provided with cameras and a scavenger hunt sheet that encouraged them to explore the farm with the help of two older MPTN teens who are employed at the farm. While touring the high tunnel greenhouses, the youth asked if they could harvest some of the cucumbers and tomatoes for an afternoon snack. After visiting the three sisters’ garden, the Hereford cows, the swine pen, and the vegetable production fields, the youth enjoyed the fruits of their labor as they reflected on the day. They chose to talk with friends and eat the vegetables they had picked themselves over the bags of processed snacks and their phones.

The photos that the youth had captured at the farm were then developed and entered into the New London County 4-H Fair on August 11-13th, 2023. Their efforts were rewarded with many blue, red, and white Danish ribbons. Youth projects are evaluated on their individual merits at the 4-H Fair. This fall, UConn 4-H is working with MPTN to develop a 4-H club where youth can continue to engage with 4-H programming and curriculum in topics that interest them.

Interested in replicating this at home? 

Download the UConn 4-H Scavenger Hunt template and fill in each box with an item or prompt. Or, print our UConn 4-H Farm Photography Scavenger Hunt activity sheet and visit a local farm business near you. Provide your youth with a camera and let them explore their world with a new perspective!

Article and photo: Sara Tomis